Being able to say that I learned how to roll sushi properly is something that many people cannot be able to say. Having watched both chefs describe the processes of rolling sushi and the methods and techniques that would be best for rolling these rolls were extremely interactive in fun. I do wish that I had the opportunity to do so as well but I think the real highlight of the night was being able to taste the sushi that the chefs had made for us right after he made them. The techniques and the ingredients that he used to ensure that the roll would be done properly so it could hold and withstand dipping was something that I never thought of to be important but now I can definitely say it is. I hope that next time, if we have this demonstration again, we would be able to partake in the rolling as well.
Author Archives: vl277
Frat Culture from the Roman Empire On
I think binge drinking is something that most college students have either seen, experienced, or talked about within their campus lives. This cafe was extremely interesting to see the varying places where binge drinking started from like in the Roman Empire. Holding the little gauntlet that they would use to drink their wine was something that was eye opening as it showed how items have progressed in time. In general, the cafe was extremely interesting to see the varying viewpoints one could have seen a painting compared to how it can be depicted through words. I think that the painting and its description was intriguing in its depiction of drinking as something both enjoyable but also sorrowful. This painting and its description can definitely be used to help others realize how alcohol can be enjoyed but also one should take precaution in doing so.
Be Your Own Boss
Entrepreneurship is something that most people don’t dare to attempt due to the countless risks that are presented but after talking to Ben about his company, I realized that anyone who has a drive and a passion for a product can do it. Personally, the idea of entrepreneurship was always something that intrigued me but also seemed extremely daunting at the same time. Rather than having a secure job with a secure income risking it all for something that I wasn’t sure would succeed seemed ridiculous. It was interesting to hear Ben’s story, starting his business in his last year of university, I never expected someone wanting to revolutionize the chocolate industry at such a young age. His devotion to his product and his brand can be seen throughout his constant efforts to develop his product and how he personally works every single day to either market the product or produce something even better. We even got to sample some of the flavors that he produces and knowing that it was made to be good for you as well as helping the environment, I couldn’t help but want to continue snacking on the bite-sized pieces of chocolate. Seeing Ben go around the nation to help other entrepreneurs and market his brand while also promoting the use of clean, fair trade products is a feat that one who is only truly devoted to their product can do. I applaud Ben for all the hard work that he has put into the company and wish him the best for the future of Five North.
Is College Fair?
Talking with President Pollock right after the Varsity Blues scandal took over the nation was something that I never expected to happen. It was very enlightening to hear from the President of our university describe how she wanted to make sure that this wouldn’t happen again and that all students at Cornell would be given the spots they deserve. While I disagree with her stance that legacy admissions don’t disadvantage marginalized persons, I do believe she wants what is best for the university. The college admissions process in America has effectively become more and more biased as the years have gone on. Like in the Varsity Blues scandal, people have been able to bribe their way into colleges using “donations” to the schools in hopes that the millions of dollars that they can spare will give their child an elite education. As colleges have become more like businesses within the US, they’re willing and will gratefully accept these donations and students in hopes that these “donations” will be coming in frequently. While I cannot say if that these students deserve those spots academically, it’s rather immoral to allow students to buy their way into universities if they do not meet these qualifications. I’m extremely glad that President Pollock is aware of people trying to do such actions today and wants to ensure that those situations will not occur during college admissions processes here. While many are currently arguing the fairness of college admissions currently, I really hope that other schools are willing to take more care in looking at their admissions processes like President Pollock plans to do.
What’s the Next Step?
I think for a lot of us at Cornell people expect us to know exactly what we want to do with our lives or how we at least plan to get there. I mean in a sense, we’re expected to know this when we’re applying for colleges as most people tell you not to go in undecided. Personally, I wouldn’t encourage being so closed minded and focusing on your studies instead of something that you may actually be extremely passionate about. Hearing Lisa talk about how unpathed her career was and how uncertain she was during some parts of her life kind of gave me hope for my future that is currently unknown. Prior to Cornell, I was supposed to be training in Korea to become a K-pop idol. Do I regret giving up the opportunity that millions of teens across the world try to reach? Yes, but also no. I think my mind always likes to wander to what my life would’ve been like if I hadn’t left but I’m also a huge believer in fate and I think that I was brought to Cornell for a reason. Of course, whenever I tell my friends about the story, they are always shocked that I left but I think that focusing on my past isn’t going to get me anywhere in my future. Instead, I want to be able to be proud of everything I’ve done and work hard to do everything I want to do. There’s a lot that we all don’t know and I think that the uncertainty scares most of us but we have to be willing to go through with it in order to go further and transcend both ourselves and the community for the better.
New Tactics to Preventing Sexual Harassment
In recent times with the presence of the #metoo movement, the focus on sexual harassment and ways our community as a whole can prevent and stop these offenders have become a hot issue. I think that from this cafe, it was extremely interesting in hearing about other ways sexual harassment can be prevented rather than what people may be currently focusing on, in teaching consent and respect. I completely agree with most people today in stating that as a society, we need to change our perspective on sexuality and remove the current rape culture that we have instilled within all aspects of our society so that these issues will be issues rather than being something looked over. Honestly, when Laura first discussed her ways of preventing sexual harassment by using glow sticks or holding cooldown events, I doubted their effectiveness but after playing each situation out in my head, I was able to understand how each tiny development that they could add to the experience could help prevent these problems from occurring. While that being said, we still need to as a society, look into preventing this behavior as a whole as while the tactics that we discussed were definitely helpful in a college setting, there still may be predators that will take any opportunity given to them past our college years. We’ve seen instances like Brett Kavanaugh and Brock Turner getting only slaps on their wrists after they harassed someone when more should have been done. With sexual assaults being drastically underreported due to the fear that people may not believe them, the belief that nothing would be done, or the trauma that one may face after, we need to be able to also build support systems for survivors and remove these predators from being able to prosper and move on with their lives when they should be punished for their actions. I guess what I would love to see would be these tactics or how we can manipulate these tactics to benefit the entire society, or how we can scale these projects to benefit a city.
Poverty Traps, What Can We Do?
The concept of a poverty trap may seem new to most people attending this university. The concept of a poverty trap revolves around the idea that there are forces either intentional or unintentional that makes it difficult for people to escape poverty or becoming impoverished. During this Rose Cafe, we discussed the various types of poverty traps in Africa and how people planned on combatting those issues. The discussion got me thinking about the poverty traps that may be surrounding me that I fail to recognize. One of the biggest ones I realized was schooling. Especially in the United States, K-12 level schooling heavily relies on public funding in order to teach students. As a result, those living in areas of lower income classes go to schools that receive lower funds than the middle class or upper-class students. The decreased level of education that these students receive as a result may potentially decrease their skill levels and make them less likely to go to university or be able to get jobs compared to the other students. The reality of the situation is that in order to address these poverty traps we have to accept that they are real systems being put in place. We will only be able to fully address the situation at hand when we are able to see the trap without biases or through any sort of filter. These are situations that we must look at head-on rather than pushing the issue to the side.
What People Get Wrong
Within our current political climate, a lot of people have preconceived notions about immigrants and refugees. People believe that they come here illegally to harm the people of our nation either physically or fiscally when in reality, they are trying to keep their family and livelihoods safe. The United States was founded upon the idea that people from countries across the world could find refuge here and prosper as long as they work hard. The American Dream is what drives people to want to be here, something that we advertise and make known to be what drives American people. Like how Viet Thanh Nguyen described, a lot of the people coming here as refugees or immigrants are escaping situations that have resulted from US actions. In the case of these Vietnamese refugees, it was the bombing of Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries. These people aren’t becoming refugees because they want to, they’re forced to because of the actions of our government. Personally, both of my parents immigrated here from China during the 80s. My father, in particular, fled his country as they were preventing him from receiving an education and came to America to study. Due to the effects of the Cultural Revolution in China, the ideals that my father held were contradictory to what the government wanted so he left in order to make sure he was safe and could work hard for a life for himself. There are people today painting these pictures of refugees and immigrants as evil people ready to steal everything from you when in reality, a lot may have already been stolen from them and they are just trying hard to make their lives something worth living.